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habitat... true?

cornsnakeboy12

New member
I wrote this and was wondering if there was anything wrong with it...


Due to their small size, corn snakes can generally live their entire lives in a 50-gallon terrarium or even smaller. No matter what size it is, it should always be large enough for your pet to be able to fully stretch out without touching any part of the cage. It should also have a secure lock on the lid. Snakes have the ability to squeeze through small spaces.

The bottom of any terrarium should be covered with some sort of substrate. Some common materials used to create substrate are bark chips,and mulch. Substrate should never be made out of jagged rock pieces, printed paper towels, or cedar shavings, as they can affect the snake's lungs and cause skin blisters.

Some people like to include live plants in their terrarium. While living plants look good, they cannot be decontaminated and may harbor harmful organisms. Also, these plants are very easily destroyed by any snake. Artificial plants, however, are easily cleaned and can make a very real-looking addition to any terrarium. Ferns, vines, and other plants with large leaves are great options.

Another important part of creating a snake terrarium is providing hiding places. In the wild, snakes are able to hide from thing and they need to feel this security in captivity, even though there will likely not be any anything around.
Many snakes have very specific lighting needs, but corn snakes are not among them. While providing your corn snake with some sort of ultraviolet light will be.

good for his overall health, corn snakes do not require ultraviolet light to metabolize their food and vitamins.
 
I wrote this and was wondering if there was anything wrong with it...


Due to their small size, corn snakes can generally live their entire lives in a 50-gallon terrarium or even smaller. No matter what size it is, it should always be large enough for your pet to be able to fully stretch out without touching any part of the cage. It should also have a secure lock on the lid. Snakes have the ability to squeeze through small spaces.

The bottom of any terrarium should be covered with some sort of substrate. Some common materials used to create substrate are bark chips,and mulch. Substrate should never be made out of jagged rock pieces, printed paper towels, or cedar shavings, as they can affect the snake's lungs and cause skin blisters.

Some people like to include live plants in their terrarium. While living plants look good, they cannot be decontaminated and may harbor harmful organisms. Also, these plants are very easily destroyed by any snake. Artificial plants, however, are easily cleaned and can make a very real-looking addition to any terrarium. Ferns, vines, and other plants with large leaves are great options.

Another important part of creating a snake terrarium is providing hiding places. In the wild, snakes are able to hide from thing and they need to feel this security in captivity, even though there will likely not be any anything around.
Many snakes have very specific lighting needs, but corn snakes are not among them. While providing your corn snake with some sort of ultraviolet light will be.

good for his overall health
, corn snakes do not require ultraviolet light to metabolize their food and vitamins.

I question the above in bold.
These statments, to me, are not really true.
!. Not alot of owners keep corns in a 50 viv.
2. Much... ??? why not state aspen. printed newpaper???
3. this goes with (1) it's alright if it touches viv. Some snake never "stretch out" and are not harmed.
4.I don't "think" this is proven out.
 
From everything I've read, there is no additional lighting needed for a corn. As far as the bedding, I've used everything from aspen, to cypress mulch, to newspapers and paper towels. It all works, but leave the Cedar out of it! There's a few other woods to stay away from, but I can't remember them off the top of my head at the moment. If you have the space, a 50g viv would be a wonderful setup and your snake would love you forever.
 
My thoughts...

No matter what size it is, it should always be large enough for your pet to be able to fully stretch out without touching any part of the cage.

This is not the case. The general rule of thumb is that the Corn should be able to stretch around the length and one side of the tank. Something around three feet wide by two feet deep is about right, although they can be fine in something slightly smaller.

A 50 gallon tank would be a palatial, but I'm all in favour of offering as large a tank as possible. I have a couple that are four feet wide, 18 inches deep, and three/four feet tall. No such thing as a tank that's "too big", as long as you have adequate hides and heating.

Substrate should never be made out of ... printed paper towels ... as they can affect the snake's lungs and cause skin blisters.

Printed paper towels are fine and won't cause the health problems mentioned. On the other hand, why would someone use the more expensive printed type, when plain ones are cheaper? My Corns have never appreciated my attempts at interior design...

While providing your corn snake with some sort of ultraviolet light will be good for his overall health

I don't think that's the case. None of mine have ever had UV and their overall health is fine (one is over 20 years old now). Is there a source for this info, or any examples?
 
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